You Too Can Have a Boring Life!

I know it seems like just a dream but you CAN make it happen for you! But first, the intro....

New to the Life is Therapy series? Here's a quick blurb to tell you what it's about:

Sometimes we parents can get bogged down in the notion that the teaching of our children must be done by professionals. Parents of children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to this idea since children with special needs often have to learn and develop quite differently than children with typical needs. This series centers around the idea that learning can and does occur most effectively through everyday life experiences at home and out in the community--for children with both typical and special needs.

Two weeks ago, we talked about how Boring is Good. Since then, I know you have all been scratching your heads wondering just how completely crazy I am why David and Jack put up with me how you might make life a little more boring for your family. I came across this blog post that showed an awesome organizational system for keeping the house a bit tidier but also letting everyone know what to expect next.

It actually inspired me to get out some old picture cards that I made a LONG time ago that Jack did not really respond to much.

In the first column, there are pictures that illustrate time to potty (told you these were old), time for night night stories, and time for medicine. The next column is time for teeth brushing and time for bath.

Now that he is a bit older and better able to focus, it seems that the cards help him to process my verbal instructions regarding what comes next. I keep the cards in a little folder and just pull out the one that represents the next activity. They could also be used to create a visual schedule as Jenn did in her guest post on Raising Memories.

Picture cards can also be used to aid your child in making choices. For instance, if you are giving your child the choice between playing with play-doh or coloring, you could present him/her with a card with a picture of play-doh and a card with picture of crayons. The visual representation along with your spoken words may help your child process exactly what his/her options are. This choice making method can also help you to better understand a child who is in the early stages of talking or has some other reason that he/she is difficult to understand verbally.

You don't have to make your own cards. There are a few sites on the internet that have ready to print images. Heather Lynne mentioned All About Me. There's also Do2Learn, English4Kids, and Teach Children ESL. Don't be intimidated by the fact that these sites mention autism and foreign language speakers, the cards can be used for whatever purpose you have in mind.

Go check out the sites and have fun creating your boring life!

Recent Life is Therapy Posts can be found at:
The Grocery Store
TV is NOT the Enemy
Boring is Good
Just Snuggle
For more Life is Therapy Posts, check out the left side bar.

Now it's your turn to participate. This is where we share our ideas and stories with one another. We're all in this together. Let's laugh together, motivate one another, and stimulate each others ideas. If you have a blog, create your own "life is therapy" post and link to the specific post in the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog just leave a comment with your life is therapy story.